About MAAA

The Monadnock Area Artists Association began in 1958 when a loose knit group of artists displayed their art work on Central Square in Keene. The City provided snow fencing upon which the paintings were hung. That humble seed blossomed into an annual “Art in the Park” event with over eighty artists displaying their work. The Monadnock Area Artists Association was legally structured as a non profit organization in 1963. Today, it is a volunteer-run association with a strong commitment to cultivating art in the community. Activities center on generating interest and appreciation of art within our region through education and the exhibition of art works. Members exhibit at various locations in the area as part of our Artists Out-reach Program, as well as being able to submit work for member and juried shows.

Activities for our members include speakers, demonstrations, workshops, and painting groups, which are announced in our periodic newsletters. Our main event of the year is Art in the Park , a two day public outdoor art show in the lovely garden walkways of Ashuelot River Park on West Street in Keene. This is a judged exhibition held on Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend. Artists come from all over New England to exhibit and sell their work.

About Art in The Park

Other highlights include music provided by local musicians, and the promotion of high school artists. An area is provided for students from Keene High School and Monadnock Regional High School to show their work at Art in the Park. Scholarships are given to a graduating senior from those two schools who plans to pursue art studies in college. Each year on Labor Day weekend, the Ashuelot River Park in Keene comes alive with beautiful pastels, oils, acrylics, photography, pottery, woodworking and so much more as artists from around the Monadnock region and beyond gather to display and sell their creations. Aptly named Art in the Park, this annual festival offers a diverse array of artistic styles, providing a little something to meet the interests and catch the artistic eye of the art lovers who stroll throughout the park and take it all in. This open air event makes it easy to meet and talk with the artists and, if you are lucky, you just might leave with a new favorite piece to add to your art collection.